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Celtics Basketball => Celtics Talk => Topic started by: AB_Celtic on December 25, 2012, 10:03:59 PM

Title: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: AB_Celtic on December 25, 2012, 10:03:59 PM
I would be very happy with him spending his entire career here, barring unforeseen circumstances. What I don't really have a grasp on, however, is how devoted he is to staying here. It really isn't talked about by anyone, probably because his contract doesn't expire for a while.

Do you guys think Rondo is happy as a Celtic? Would he be happy spending his whole career here?
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: indeedproceed on December 25, 2012, 10:07:10 PM
I think Rondo is at this point more attached to KG, Pierce, and Doc than he is the Celtics, but I also think he'd be satisfied spending his career here even at his still young age, as long as we keep putting him in position to win and contend.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: pearljammer10 on December 25, 2012, 10:54:20 PM
I don't see rondo ever getting a chance to hit free agency. Danny's gonna lock him up each time an why wouldn't he. If rondo wanted out he wouldn't have signed to such a good deal.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: indeedproceed on December 25, 2012, 11:03:18 PM
I don't see rondo ever getting a chance to hit free agency. Danny's gonna lock him up each time an why wouldn't he. If rondo wanted out he wouldn't have signed to such a good deal.

Rondo signing a good deal now in retrospect doesn't mean he is happy about it now though. He's got a fat fat payday in 2 years, and I believe if he could take it back, he would've signed a shorter term deal at the time.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Onslaught on December 25, 2012, 11:50:40 PM
He's devoted as his paycheck is.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: ManUp on December 26, 2012, 12:06:46 AM
He's devoted as his paycheck is.

Yerp.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Ogaju on December 26, 2012, 12:21:29 AM
I dont think he is devoted at all... if he was devoted his agent would have been calling for a contract extension.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Mazingerz on December 26, 2012, 12:29:56 AM
I think his contract ends in 2015. Why would his agent call this year?
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: ScottHow on December 26, 2012, 12:36:27 AM
I don't know if he really believes in Celtic pride like KG or Pierce. KG is a rare player as it is and did Pierce really buy into that at Rondo's age?
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Mazingerz on December 26, 2012, 12:40:56 AM
Id like to think so. He has this swagger and his actions speak for itself. He also mentioned one time that he'd like to be a Celtic for life. He has bought in and institutionalized as a celtic (to paraphrase Paul Pierce). He only knows one way to play Basketball, and it is Celtics Ball.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Kane3387 on December 26, 2012, 12:49:41 AM
Today I think he is but in two years when he's an expiring... Who knows?
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Ogaju on December 26, 2012, 01:02:42 AM
I think his contract ends in 2015. Why would his agent call this year?

because he is vastly underpaid and if he was not looking to bolt he would have called for an extension at a higher rate. The only reason he has not called is because rr wants to test free agency
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: ScottHow on December 26, 2012, 01:16:11 AM
I think his contract ends in 2015. Why would his agent call this year?

because he is vastly underpaid and if he was not looking to bolt he would have called for an extension at a higher rate. The only reason he has not called is because rr wants to test free agency

He can't extend now anyways.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: European NBA fan on December 26, 2012, 01:46:07 AM
I think that Rondo is devoted to the team and the people who are around it on a daily basis. I think that he loves the winning culture and the Celtic way. And I believe that when it's time for him to extend, he will look at the organization's commitment to that and developing the new team around him as much as on his pay check.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: dunisho on December 26, 2012, 05:48:07 AM
I think that Rondo is devoted to the team and the people who are around it on a daily basis. I think that he loves the winning culture and the Celtic way. And I believe that when it's time for him to extend, he will look at the organization's commitment to that and developing the new team around him as much as on his pay check.

true... that is why the celtics should begin to develop players without sacrificing contending for a championship...look at what the spurs have done... they have been developed young players like splitter, leonard, green, neal, etc.. such that when the time duncan, ginobili retire, they will still be able to contend... can the same be said of the celtics when garnett and pierce retire in 2-3 years? doc rivers didn't utilize the bench the past few years and depended solely on trades/free agency to acquire players to use...then chemistry becomes an issue...
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: bfrombleacher on December 26, 2012, 06:29:53 AM
The goodwill we have with him is probably only a notch below franchise players like Dirk and Timmy D.

Can't believe nobody mentioned how he sacrificed his arm. This guy will give his all to win...for the Celtics.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: mctyson on December 26, 2012, 06:58:19 AM
Rondo is really smart.  He knows Danny is devoted to him, until Chris Paul becomes available.  So...not really.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: slamtheking on December 26, 2012, 08:52:13 AM
The goodwill we have with him is probably only a notch below franchise players like Dirk and Timmy D.

Can't believe nobody mentioned how he sacrificed his arm. This guy will give his all to win...for the Celtics.
no doubt he has an incredible will to win but I think that would be the case regardless of what team he was playing for.

I expect him to look for the biggest paycheck when this contract is up.  If all goes right, the C's will be the team that can offer that, he'll know that well in advance and Danny and Rondo's agent get that contract completed before he hits free agency.  That would be huge since he'll be the biggest draw for free agents in the post PP/KG era.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: mgent on December 26, 2012, 10:01:29 AM
I don't see rondo ever getting a chance to hit free agency. Danny's gonna lock him up each time an why wouldn't he. If rondo wanted out he wouldn't have signed to such a good deal.

Rondo signing a good deal now in retrospect doesn't mean he is happy about it now though. He's got a fat fat payday in 2 years, and I believe if he could take it back, he would've signed a shorter term deal at the time.
Ehh.  You could say that about every player.  In an ideal world guys would only sign 1 year deals and get a raise every year equal to how much they improved/get their max deal as soon as possible.  That's not how it's done, young guys want the security and they know that if they DO manage to stay healthy they have plenty of time to earn more money.

Rondo was coming off a 17-10-10 playoff performance.  He knew what he was doing.  I highly doubt he thought 17-12-7 on better shooting (last year's playoffs) was outside of his reach.  He could've gotten a similar deal back then on the open market but he chose the security instead giving us the money to keep multiple HOFers and a solid supporting cast around him while he continued to make his name.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: indeedproceed on December 26, 2012, 10:11:02 AM
I don't see rondo ever getting a chance to hit free agency. Danny's gonna lock him up each time an why wouldn't he. If rondo wanted out he wouldn't have signed to such a good deal.

Rondo signing a good deal now in retrospect doesn't mean he is happy about it now though. He's got a fat fat payday in 2 years, and I believe if he could take it back, he would've signed a shorter term deal at the time.
Ehh.  You could say that about every player.  In an ideal world guys would only sign 1 year deals and get a raise every year equal to how much they improved/get their max deal as soon as possible.  That's not how it's done, young guys want the security and they know that if they DO manage to stay healthy they have plenty of time to earn more money.

Yes, you could say that about every player who outperforms his contract, and you should, because its true. Rondo took security, but I bet he's wishing now that he would've kept the deal to 3 years max.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: RJ87 on December 26, 2012, 11:19:37 AM
I think his contract ends in 2015. Why would his agent call this year?

because he is vastly underpaid and if he was not looking to bolt he would have called for an extension at a higher rate. The only reason he has not called is because rr wants to test free agency

That's not how the NBA's CBA works - this isn't baseball where guys can add extensions onto existing contracts with multiple years left. An extension for Rondo is basically a non-conversation until the 2014/15 season when he can actually sign one.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: nickagneta on December 26, 2012, 11:45:24 AM
How devoted can we as fans know that any professional athlete is to the team that pays them? Wasn't most of Celticsblog convinced Ray Allen was devoted to the Celtics before he took half the money to go elsewhere?

How many of us are devoted long term to our jobs?

I think Rondo is devoted to winning with this team right now. I think he has seen that the coaching staff and the management has decided this is "his" team going forward. I think as long as the Celtics continue to win and management and the coaching staff give Rondo what he is getting right now, or what he wants in the future he will be dedicated to the Celtics.

Once anything changes, like the Celtics start losing, Doc leaves, management decides he is an asset and tries to continually trade him, then I think there's a good chance Rondo's devotion to the team could change.

And really, I think that's all anyone can think at this point. There's just no evidence to think any other thing.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: indeedproceed on December 26, 2012, 11:57:20 AM
I think Rondo is devoted to winning with this team right now. I think he has seen that the coaching staff and the management has decided this is "his" team going forward. I think as long as the Celtics continue to win and management and the coaching staff give Rondo what he is getting right now, or what he wants in the future he will be dedicated to the Celtics.

Once anything changes, like the Celtics start losing, Doc leaves, management decides he is an asset and tries to continually trade him, then I think there's a good chance Rondo's devotion to the team could change.

And really, I think that's all anyone can think at this point. There's just no evidence to think any other thing.

And its not really a bad thing at all either. If Bruce Hornsby was going to comment on it, I bet he's say something like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlRQjzltaMQ
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Celtics18 on December 26, 2012, 12:06:41 PM
I don't see rondo ever getting a chance to hit free agency. Danny's gonna lock him up each time an why wouldn't he. If rondo wanted out he wouldn't have signed to such a good deal.

Rondo signing a good deal now in retrospect doesn't mean he is happy about it now though. He's got a fat fat payday in 2 years, and I believe if he could take it back, he would've signed a shorter term deal at the time.
Ehh.  You could say that about every player.  In an ideal world guys would only sign 1 year deals and get a raise every year equal to how much they improved/get their max deal as soon as possible.  That's not how it's done, young guys want the security and they know that if they DO manage to stay healthy they have plenty of time to earn more money.

Yes, you could say that about every player who outperforms his contract, and you should, because its true. Rondo took security, but I bet he's wishing now that he would've kept the deal to 3 years max.

Sometimes people make career decisions that are based on more than purely straight dollar amounts.  I think Rajon Rondo made a really good career decision, and I think he's probably very happy with that decision right now.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Celtics4ever on December 26, 2012, 12:08:51 PM
Hmmm, playing with one arm showed me he is dedicated.   A lot of guys would not have done that folks.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Chris on December 26, 2012, 12:11:39 PM
Hmmm, playing with one arm showed me he is dedicated.   A lot of guys would not have done that folks.

Eh, this showed me he is competitive.  Which I think is all we should be asking of a professional athlete anyways. 

While they can have some dedication to the organization and fans, its just not the same thing as what we have as fans.  This is still their livelihood.  So, they may have a dedication as much as one of us might have for the company we have worked for for the last 5-10 years.  But its just not like we think of it as fans.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: the_Bird on December 26, 2012, 12:16:21 PM
I believe Rondo is completely devoted to his teammates and probably his coach - but beyond that, no reason to believe that his devotion to the Celtics/Boston is anything more than other players to their franchises. 

He's not Pierce, who's been the face of the franchise for more than a decade and who has bought in completely to the Celtic mystique.  Once he retires, Pierce will be showing up to sit with Mike and Scal for a quarter and do commentary.  He'll hand out the Sixth Man Award.  He'll remain an integral part of the Celtics community once he retires. 

Rondo...  I just do see it.  When Pierce and KG retires, if Doc ever leaves, I'm not sure Rondo would push for a trade but I don't see him taking a hometown discount to sign an extension.  But, I see him being 100% loyal to his teammates - as we saw in the first game against the Nets, sometimes to his detriment.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: indeedproceed on December 26, 2012, 12:20:22 PM
I don't see rondo ever getting a chance to hit free agency. Danny's gonna lock him up each time an why wouldn't he. If rondo wanted out he wouldn't have signed to such a good deal.

Rondo signing a good deal now in retrospect doesn't mean he is happy about it now though. He's got a fat fat payday in 2 years, and I believe if he could take it back, he would've signed a shorter term deal at the time.
Ehh.  You could say that about every player.  In an ideal world guys would only sign 1 year deals and get a raise every year equal to how much they improved/get their max deal as soon as possible.  That's not how it's done, young guys want the security and they know that if they DO manage to stay healthy they have plenty of time to earn more money.

Yes, you could say that about every player who outperforms his contract, and you should, because its true. Rondo took security, but I bet he's wishing now that he would've kept the deal to 3 years max.

Sometims people make career decisions that are based on more than purely straight dollar amounts.  I think Rajon Rondo made a really good career decision, and I think he's probably very happy with that decision right now.


You think he's happy being underpaid to be the best player on a team 1 game over .500?

Maybe, but personally I bet he'd love an extra 5 million clams about now. Probably wants some money too.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Celtics18 on December 26, 2012, 12:31:24 PM
I don't see rondo ever getting a chance to hit free agency. Danny's gonna lock him up each time an why wouldn't he. If rondo wanted out he wouldn't have signed to such a good deal.

Rondo signing a good deal now in retrospect doesn't mean he is happy about it now though. He's got a fat fat payday in 2 years, and I believe if he could take it back, he would've signed a shorter term deal at the time.
Ehh.  You could say that about every player.  In an ideal world guys would only sign 1 year deals and get a raise every year equal to how much they improved/get their max deal as soon as possible.  That's not how it's done, young guys want the security and they know that if they DO manage to stay healthy they have plenty of time to earn more money.

Yes, you could say that about every player who outperforms his contract, and you should, because its true. Rondo took security, but I bet he's wishing now that he would've kept the deal to 3 years max.

Sometims people make career decisions that are based on more than purely straight dollar amounts.  I think Rajon Rondo made a really good career decision, and I think he's probably very happy with that decision right now.


You think he's happy being underpaid to be the best player on a team 1 game over .500?

Maybe, but personally I bet he'd love an extra 5 million clams about now. Probably wants some money too.

Rajon can buy all the clams he wants down on the South Shore.  That aside, yes, I do think he's happy.  Rajon could have probably waited it out to free agency instead of signing an extension last time around and gotten himself a higher per year dollar contract somewhere else, but I believe that this was the absolute best situation for him to turn himself into a bona fide NBA superstar over that time span. 

I think he played it smart when you look at the big picture of his NBA career.  Rajon has always struck me as a big picture kind of guy. 
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: soap07 on December 26, 2012, 12:53:48 PM
Quote
He's not Pierce, who's been the face of the franchise for more than a decade and who has bought in completely to the Celtic mystique.  Once he retires, Pierce will be showing up to sit with Mike and Scal for a quarter and do commentary.  He'll hand out the Sixth Man Award.  He'll remain an integral part of the Celtics community once he retires. 

Some revisionist history here...Pierce would've asked for a trade if KG/Ray weren't brought in. Celtics Mystique is there when the C's are winning and have a competitive roster. Rondo has bought into that as long as the C's are winning. When they're not, like almost every star player that's ever played in the NBA, he will be unhappy.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: Chris on December 26, 2012, 01:14:47 PM
Quote
He's not Pierce, who's been the face of the franchise for more than a decade and who has bought in completely to the Celtic mystique.  Once he retires, Pierce will be showing up to sit with Mike and Scal for a quarter and do commentary.  He'll hand out the Sixth Man Award.  He'll remain an integral part of the Celtics community once he retires. 

Some revisionist history here...Pierce would've asked for a trade if KG/Ray weren't brought in. Celtics Mystique is there when the C's are winning and have a competitive roster. Rondo has bought into that as long as the C's are winning. When they're not, like almost every star player that's ever played in the NBA, he will be unhappy.

Absolutely.  And there is also another key component here...the C's management.  Do they want to keep Rondo longterm?  Does it make sense for them to keep him around, or will they be in a position where it makes more sense to move on?

Pierce was good, because he worked with Danny, and vice versa.  They had open communication on the future of the franchise, and I think were likely on the same page.  Either go all in to win, or start clean without Pierce. 

I could see a similar situation with Rondo in a couple years.  He won't want to stay for rebuilding anymore than the team will want a 28 year old PG signing a max contract, as they are trying to get younger.
Title: Re: How devoted do you think Rondo is to the Celtics?
Post by: the_Bird on December 26, 2012, 01:50:08 PM
Quote
He's not Pierce, who's been the face of the franchise for more than a decade and who has bought in completely to the Celtic mystique.  Once he retires, Pierce will be showing up to sit with Mike and Scal for a quarter and do commentary.  He'll hand out the Sixth Man Award.  He'll remain an integral part of the Celtics community once he retires. 

Some revisionist history here...Pierce would've asked for a trade if KG/Ray weren't brought in. Celtics Mystique is there when the C's are winning and have a competitive roster. Rondo has bought into that as long as the C's are winning. When they're not, like almost every star player that's ever played in the NBA, he will be unhappy.

I don't doubt Pierce would have asked for a trade at the time (and they would have been shopping him regardless), but I believe there's a lot more to it than just being a winning team.  Pierce has matured a LOT since earlier in his career - he isn't the punk who showed up at the press conference in the Indiana series with the dumb-ass head bandage.  That was a winning team, but that wasn't a mature Pierce. 

If the team's performance begins to decline to the point where a full-rebuild becomes necessary, I think he'll accept being traded but I don't see him actively petitioning for a trade.  But, I can't PROVE that, it's juts my sense of hearing how he talked about the team and his role in the Celtics tradition, versus how he used to be back 7-8 years ago.